NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the ninth straight season, the Christopher Newport volleyball team will sail into the NCAA Tournament as conference champions as the sixth-ranked Captains pieced together an incredible effort to win the 2015 Capital Athletic Conference title after sweeping Salisbury, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23), during the title bout on Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center.
 
Claiming their third straight CAC crown and ninth consecutive league championship, the Captains earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The national bracket will be announced with a selection show on NCAA.com at 11 a.m. on Monday.
 
Leading the way during the title bout, Hannah Miller put together a match to remember as the third-year star was simply sensational against the Sea Gulls. On the offensive end, the reigning first-team All-American drilled 12 kills on just 18 swings. She also paced an outstanding effort along the net as she assisted on five of the team's nine blocks.
 
Also coming up big on Saturday, CNU's three seniors left an indelible mark during their final league championship. Rachel Conway dished out 32 assists, while Abby McIntyre blistered seven kills and was a pristine 20-for-20 on reception attempts. Ashley Rock also showed off her versatility with six kills, two aces, and four blocks.
 
Just as effective against the Sea Gulls, Maddie McCann pumped nine kills, while Rachel Close and Evelyn Harper were magnificent on the back row. Flying around the court, Close pocketed a match-high 14 digs, while Harper contributed nine. Equally important on the defensive end, Katelyn Newsome helped frustrate the opposition with five blocks.
 
With the victory, Christopher Newport improves to 29-2 on the season. Salisbury falls to 24-8.
 
From the outset, the Captains found their groove in all facets of the game. Kicking things off, Rock joined forces with Newsome on a block before smashing an ace. On the next rally, Miller unleashed a screaming tracer that drilled a back-row defender and ricocheted into the net on the way to a fast 4-0 lead. Just getting started, Miller unloaded three more kills to snatch a 7-3 edge heading into a Salisbury timeout.
 
In the middle of the set, McCann took over on the front line with three kills, including a roll shot after a diving dig by Close. Meanwhile, Conway and Close also smacked aces during a huge run to nail down an 18-7 edge. With more than enough breathing room, Miller added two late kills, McCann tooled one off the block, and Rock tipped in a shot to help secure set-point. Looking to close things out quickly, McCann put away an overpass to lock up the 25-16 victory.
 
With the momentum, the Captains took a quick lead in the second. Hitting the Sea Gulls from all angles, McIntyre laced an early cross-court dart before adding a back-row blast. McCann showed off her skill set as well with a gorgeous tip before clubbing another rocket off an overpass on the way to a 9-6 edge. Unfortunately, Salisbury shook off the early stumbles and battled back to grab a 10-9 lead heading into a CNU timeout.
 
Following the stoppage, Newsome and Rock closed off an attack attempt with a momentum-turning block. Later, McIntyre painted the back corner with a kill before Miller hit a laser off a slide to help take an 18-16 lead. Although Salisbury was able to mount a comeback and capitalized on a three-point streak to steal a 21-19 advantage, the Captains retaliated.
 
McIntyre kicked off the late run with a dagger following a long rally to pull within one. After an SU miscue evened the score at 21, the Sea Gulls called a timeout, but the break did nothing to slow down the Captains. After the stoppage, Rock lined an ace before Miller closed out the set in style. First, she teamed up with Newsome on a block before adding a kill to grab a 24-21 edge. Then, she showed both class and talent as she made an honor call on set-point to give Salisbury a second life before coming back to put a proper punctuation mark on the frame with the clinching kill to ice the 25-22 win.
 
In the third set, Christopher Newport stormed out to another early advantage. Getting things started, Rock elevated and hung in the air for an extra second as the SU defense flew one way before she tipped in the other direction to put the Captains on the board. Later, Miller teamed up on a pair of blocks, while McIntyre lined an ace to help lock up a 9-6 lead.
 
Although Salisbury shot back and stole an 11-9 edge, CNU regrouped in a timeout. Following the stoppage, the net was on the Captains' side as McIntyre laced a back-row blast that caught the tape and rolled down the line before falling in-bounds. Shortly thereafter, Madi Wickens drilled a serve that also hit the top of the net and dripped over for a perfectly-placed ace, which gave Christopher Newport a 15-14 lead and forced an SU timeout.
 
After the break, Newsome and Miller both unloaded kills before combining for a block to inch ahead at 19-17. Continuing to push, McIntyre hit a screamer that bounced back to the stands before Miller and Conway shut off another Salisbury attack for the squad's ninth block of the match, which handed CNU a 21-18 edge and led to another Sea Gull timeout.
 
Shortly after the break, Josie Lucernoni went down for a tough dig before McCann tipped in a kill to nail down a 22-20 lead. Although Salisbury was able to climb out of the hole and actually took a 23-22 advantage, the seniors showed their leadership and calmed things down. McIntyre kept a rally alive with an outstanding dig before Conway flipped around and hammered home a dart to even the score at 23. One rally later, Rock joined the fun and tipped a ball over the SU blockers to gain match-point at 24-23.
 
With no interest in going long, the Captains quickly closed out the contest. Conway sent a feed to Newsome along the right pin, and the sophomore drove a roller off a Salisbury block attempt to clinch the championship with a 25-23 win in the third.
 
During the match, Christopher Newport held the Sea Gulls to a .179 hitting percentage while the CNU attack posted a .260 clip. The Captains also did fine work on serve-receive as they limited SU to just three aces. Close converted all 12 of her reception attempts, while McIntyre and Lucernoni were flawless as well.
 
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